Kees Verkade Unique, Distinguishing and Always in Development

‘’Creation is my life, my soul, my everything.’’

Kees Verkade, an artist inspired by daily life and driven by his thoughts and feelings. ’My ideas spring into life through the thoughts I have. I can see the sculptures as an image in my head. The next thing I need to do is to make these thoughts reality’.

At a very young age, Kees Verkade expressed his talents through drawing. His dream was to work in the advertising industry when he grew up. At the age of fourteen, he produced beautiful cubist-influenced still-lives in striking shades of blue. Kees was accidentally introduced to the art of sculpturing when he chose to follow a year’s course of sculpturing at the Royal Academy of The Hague. At the time there were no more available spots on the commercial art course, his original course of interest. Sculpturing stole his heart. He loved it so much that he stayed on the course and has been sculpting ever since.

A bachelor degree in arts, however, this didn’t guarantee him lots of commissioned work. Kees rode his bicycle through the streets of Haarlem to show Haarlem’s architects his work. This way he achieved to acquire his first commissioned assignments. He also participated in various exhibitions. Until one day, famous American photographer David Douglas Duncan purchased two of his statues. He photographed them and showed the photographs to Kirk Douglas, Yul Brynner, Paul Gallico, and other big names. When they also started to purchase his work and an article about Kees and his work was published in The Times, his sales shifted from Haarlem to the world. ‘This was the start of my success story’, Verkade became immensely popular.

Finding his own style took him years. The influences of his teachers are still visible in his early pieces. Verkade’s style shifted from robust, sharp-edged figures to long and lean bodies, to a shape that we can probably only describe as ‘A Verkade’. Although Verkade’s style is unique and distinguishing, it is always in development. ‘I don’t know where it will end, we will see. It doesn’t bother me much’.

The concepts for his designs originate from moments in life. His Je Vole for example is inspired by the birth of a child His Le Fondement by love and attraction. Kees Verkade’s pieces clearly show the emotions and stories behind them. We are very proud that we are able to present a selection of pieces made by this exquisite artist on our platform.